Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced Thursday that funding applications are now available for working waterfront properties that were damaged a consequence of the severe storms that swept through the state this past winter.
Funding will be distributed through the Working Waterfront Resilience Grant Program, which is managed jointly by the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT), the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), and the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF).
The $25 million allocation for this program came as part of the $60 million transfer out of the Budget Stabilization Fund (BSF) for storm recovery efforts that was included in the recent supplemental budget.
Although there was widespread bipartisan support for investing taxpayers’ dollars in this effort, lawmakers were split along party lines with respect to the most appropriate source for this funding.
While Democrat legislators backed the plan to transfer this money out of the BSF, Republicans advocated in favor of tapping the unappropriated General Fund surplus.
Colloquially known as the Rainy Day Fund, the BSF is statutorily required to be used primarily as a reserve account to offset state expenses in the event of a General Fund revenue shortfall.
The BSF may also be used to to provide assistance to the families of fallen first responders or cover specifically-defined expenses during certain emergency situations.
[RELATED: $60 Million for Storm Relief Initiatives Soon to Be Transferred from Budget Stabilization Fund]
Gov. Mills explained in her Thursday press release that funding through the Working Waterfront Resilience Grant Program will be made available “to help rebuild wharves and piers that provide a ‘significant and compelling community benefit’ to Maine’s commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.”
According to Mills, “community benefit” will be evaluated based on how many vessels and fishermen use the property, as well as the number of people who are employed there.
In order to be eligible for funding, a property must “serve at least 10 commercial fishermen or aquaculturists for the purposes of landing their catch or accessing their vessels for their commercial activities.”
First priority will be given to applicants supporting 20 or more commercial fishermen and/or aquaculturists. At that point, other eligible applicants will be considered to receive a portion of any remaining funds.
Requests can be made for a maximum of $2 million for “design, permitting and construction costs for their project.”
Eligible projects include “the reconstruction and improvement of the damaged wharf or pier as well as associated support buildings such as bait sheds, and systems like electrical and fuel.”
Mills explains in her press release that applicants must demonstrate that any funding received will be put toward a project that “will support construction that makes properties resilient to future weather events.”
Funding awarded through this program may not be used to cover more than 50 percent of project costs, as recipients must at least match the amount awarded to them through this program.
“Maine’s working waterfronts are the lifeblood of our coastal communities,” Mills said, “and they were hit incredibly hard by last winter’s devastating storms.”
“This important funding will help rebuild damaged wharves and piers that commercial fishermen, and, by extension, our coastal communities and our entire state, depend on for our livelihoods and our economy,” said Mills. “I hope this step forward, with more to come, can provide at least some sense of certainty as we look to rebuild stronger and better to preserve our working waterfronts for years to come in the face of worsening weather.”
“Maine’s working waterfront is the backbone of our coastal communities,” said Pat Keliher, Commissioner of the Maine DMR. “We must rebuild this vital link in the supply chain that supports our valuable marine economy.”
“This past winter’s storms are the new norm, and they have shown us how vulnerable it is,” Keliher continued. “This is the first step in investing in this critical infrastructure. Our working waterfront must be preserved for future generations by ensuring it is resilient to a changing climate.”
Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release
Applications must be submitted by 4:30pm on Monday, June 10, 2024. Funds are expected to be distributed at some point during August of this year.
According to Mills’ Thursday press release, applications for the remaining $35 million in storm relief funding will be made available in the near future.
